Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Scissor-tailed flycatchers are often found on open prairies, along tree-lined roads, and along roadsides perched on fences, limbs and isolated trees.

It is around 35 cm (13.7 inches) long; its long tail makes up more than half of its body length, which is in the shape of a scissor. This is where it gets its name. When flying they open up their tail to form the shape of a scissor. When they are perched they close their tail.

Its long tail and famous “sky dance” make it one of the most identifiable birds in the prairie. Adults have salmon-pink sides and the rest of the bird is pale gray to white.

They eat a large number of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and other ground-dwelling insects.